In 2019, intranasal esketamine gained approval as a promising therapy for those individuals grappling with treatment-resistant depression. Both clinical trials and real-world studies have underscored its efficacy in alleviating and remitting depressive symptoms, with sustained benefits observed for nearly 4.5 years. As the S-enantiomer of ketamine, esketamine’s dosing guidelines and strict medical supervision stem from prior research on ketamine’s use in depression and history as a recreational drug. Despite initial concerns, long-term clinical studies have not documented instances of abuse, misuse, addiction or withdrawal, and the same was found in case reports or subsamples of high-risk populations with comorbidities such as substance use disorder or alcohol use disorder. Esketamine has proven to be safe and well tolerated without fostering new-onset substance use in vulnerable groups. Real-world studies reinforced these observations, reporting no adverse events (AEs) related to pharmacological interactions of esketamine with any other substance, and no new-onset drug or alcohol misuse, craving, misuse or diversion of use. Reports of esketamine craving remain rare, with only one case report documented in 2022. Most drug-related AEs reported in pharmacovigilance databases are those identified in the product’s technical data sheet and with known reported frequency. More importantly, no register of illicit acquisition of esketamine or its tampering for obtaining ketamine or other altered products was found in our search. Overall, our review confirms esketamine’s safety across diverse patient populations, reassuring its responsible use and the scarcity of reports of abuse or misuse since its introduction to the market.

En la práctica clínica se ha observado que los pacientes con cuadros subsindrómicos de depresión que han tardado en acudir a salud mental presentaron dificultades en la identificación y verbalización de los síntomas depresivos. El objetivo de este estudio es determinar diferencias significativas en el tiempo de síntomas sin tratar considerando grados de confusión emocional (medida con el ítem 1 de la Escala de Alexitimia de Toronto). La muestra se compone de 126 participantes con trastorno depresivo sin especificación que acudieron por primera vez a salud mental en el Área Este de Valladolid. Se aplicó la prueba de Kruskal-Wallis encontrándose diferencias significativas entre grupos (p=0,02). Estos resultados son novedosos en nuestro medio y señalan que la confusión emocional se asocia a retrasos en la llegada de ayuda profesional. Adicionalmente orienta a considerar intervenciones psicoeducativas en el reconocimiento e identificación de malestar psíquico y una petición de ayuda oportuna en salud mental.

El sueño es una parte inseparable de la salud y la vida humana, fundamental para el aprendizaje, la salud física y mental. La presente investigación abordó la importancia de explorar la relación entre la calidad del sueño y el rendimiento académico en estudiantes universitarios. Este artículo fue una investigación mixta de enfoque no experimental de corte transversal y de diseño descriptivo correlacional cuya muestra fue de 23 estudiantes de la carrera de psicología de la Universidad Israel durante el mes de Julio del 2024. Se aplicó el test Índice de Calidad de Sueño de Pittsburgh (ICSP) y se obtuvo el kárdex de calificaciones, los datos fueron procesados a través del Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Se determinó que existió una correlación estadísticamente significativa entre la calidad del sueño y el rendimiento académico con una correlación de Pearson de 0,012. El grado de correlación fue de -0,516 sugiriendo que hay una relación inversamente proporcional. Se evidenció una correlación entre la calidad del sueño y el rendimiento académico, sugiriendo una influencia directa del sueño en la capacidad de atención, memoria y procesamiento cognitivo durante las actividades académicas. Los resultados aclararon la importancia del cuidado del sueño en el rendimiento académico.

Background: Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is frequently associated with psychiatric comorbidity, including psychotic symptoms, impulsivity and neurodevelopmental traits. The influence of age and duration of substance use on these clinical characteristics and on treatment retention remains insufficiently understood. Objectives: To examine the influence between age, duration of substance use, clinical presentation, patterns of violence, and treatment retention in individuals with SUD. Methods: A prospective 6-month cohort study was conducted at the Alcoholism Treatment Unit of the CAUSA Hospital Complex in Salamanca, Spain. A total of 264 patients with SUD were classified into two groups: prolonged substance use (≥55 years of age or ≥25 years of substance use; n = 127) and shorter substance use trajectories (<55 years and <25 years of substance use; n = 137). Participants completed structured clinical interviews and validated measures of quality of life, impulsivity, autistic traits, addiction severity, psychotic symptoms and violence. Non-parametric analyses were applied (α = 0.05; 95% CI). Results: Younger participants showed a significantly higher prevalence of auditory and visual hallucinations and persecutory delusions at baseline. During follow-up, both groups exhibited a reduction in physical aggression while driving and an increase in insults and verbal threats. No significant differences were observed in recent uncontrolled violence. Positive screening results for ADHD, autistic traits and impulsivity were not associated with treatment retention. Lower baseline physical functioning was associated with reduced completion of the 6-month follow-up assessment. Conclusions: Age and duration of substance use were associated with differences in the clinical presentation of SUD. Younger individuals exhibited a greater burden of psychotic symptoms and violence-related behaviours, whereas poorer physical functioning was associated with lower follow-up retention among individuals with prolonged substance use histories. These findings support the importance of age-sensitive assessment and management strategies in patients with SUD.